Statement: Recent Media Attention

The BBC featured an article about the Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) this weekend which highlighted some of the financial issues arising from a squeeze on special needs budgets.

The RNC has been at the sharp end of a series of government decisions. We have seen a decline in student numbers driven by the budgetary pressures on local authorities. This has been exacerbated by changes to the commissioning and funding of education for students with special educational needs.

To mitigate against the external environment we have put a number of measures in place including implementing plans to grow our income and consolidating our teaching and provision onto a single site. These plans are working, but while we firmly believe that we can overcome external financial pressures and ensure a successful future for the College we are also calling on the Government to reform the funding and commissioning system to address a growing national crisis of educational provision for post-16 students with visual impairments.